They are the best of conversations; they are the worst of conversations. Talk between mothers and grown daughters can be both.

Why do adult daughters complain that their mothers always criticize, while mothers feel hurt that their daughters shut them out? Why do mothers and daughters critique each other on the Big Three-hair, clothes, and weight - while longing for approval and understanding? Why does each want to be seen for who she really is, while blaming the other for falling short of who she should be? This book answers these and many other questions, explaining why a remark that would be harmless coming from anyone else can cause an explosion when it comes from your mother or your grown daughter.

With groundbreaking insights, pitch-perfect dialogues, and deeply moving memories of her own mother, who passed away while she was writing this book, Tannen untangles the knots daughters and mothers can get tied up in. Readers will appreciate the humor as they see themselves on every page and come away with real hope for breaking down barriers and opening new lines of communication. Eye-opening and heartfelt, this book shows why these relationships are so fraught and what daughters and mothers can do to make their conversations—and their relationships—better.